Pyrenees refuge de la breche

Leonard Trim said:

Hi folks,
booked in for one night in July so far. Do you need an ice axe to safely
cross the glacier? In fact is it worth taking ice axe and crampons to
the Pyrenees for a walking trip?

Hi Len,

You don't say which dates in July you are going ? If it's early July then there
may well be substantial snow on the high passes (eg the Breche and the region
around there). It gets less likely later on in July and obviously the snow is
likely to be soft-ish in most parts at that time of year. I would still take an
ice axe but crampons are a harder call, I used them for an ascent of Perdito
and also a traverse of the Breche during the first week in July 2001 but the
snow was soft enough that many people wouldn't have bothered.

Might be worth asking on fr.rec.montagne what the snow cover is like a few days
before you go.

Hth,

--
Boo

On Sun, 21 May 2006 17:18:44 +0100, Leonard Trim wrote...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,
booked in for one night in July so far. Do you need an ice axe to safely
cross the glacier? In fact is it worth taking ice axe and crampons to
the Pyrenees for a walking trip?

Presumably you mean the glacier between the hut and the Breche itself.

When I was there 20 years ago, there were hordes of people crossing it
on a well-worn path. I can't remember exactly, but this might have been
August so a little later than your July date.

Many of these people didn't have axes and made it OK. But an axe would
be a good idea. I did see one person slip and fall down the glacier for
a distance, and it had the potential to be nasty.

--
Tim Jackson
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Thanks for the replies guys. It's tough making decisions about a place
you have never been to. Even booking huts is problematic. If the hut is
needed booking in advance is certainly necessary. Already the first date
I wanted for the Refuge de la Breche in late July was fully booked; but
in some cases I do not know if I need the hut or want to camp. Certainly
cheaper than 35 euros for a dinner and a bed! By the way is the water in
streams drinkable without precautions ie just as I would knock it back
in Scotland? Any recommended campsite in Gavarnie? Arriving there late
on a Friday night after driving from Toulouse.

--
Len Trim

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Leonard Trim said:

Thanks for the replies guys. It's tough making decisions about a place
you have never been to. Even booking huts is problematic. If the hut is
needed booking in advance is certainly necessary. Already the first date
I wanted for the Refuge de la Breche in late July was fully booked; but
in some cases I do not know if I need the hut or want to camp.

There's nowhere really to camp near the breche, but in the valleys below on both
the French and Spanish sides you would probably find a place. Beware that in
the Ordessa park itself it's illegal to camp below (iirc) 2000 metres.

Quoted message said:

Certainly
cheaper than 35 euros for a dinner and a bed! By the way is the water in
streams drinkable without precautions ie just as I would knock it back
in Scotland?

I walked the pyrenean high level route a few years ago and I didn't get rid of
the [censored] until I stopped drinking bottled water :-) But be sensible and
selective, and don't use the water below huts or where cattle etc are pastured,
or izards either ;-)

Quoted message said:

Any recommended campsite in Gavarnie? Arriving there late
on a Friday night after driving from Toulouse.

There is at least one camp site in Gavarnie, on the left, just past the hotels
and houses on the way to the Cirque. It looked OK but I've never camped there.
If you decide to stay in a gite then I recommend "La Gypaete" which is near to
the coach stop in Gavarnie, friendly proprietor and the food's great.

Hth,

--
Boo

Thanks for all the info. Really looking forward to my trip.

--
Len Trim

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I've done the Breche in August in the last few years and you wouldn't
have needed an axe, though there was snow and ice. I did it (dodgily)
in sandals - but that's a story involving blisters - and carried heavy
boots all the way

15 years ago, similar time of year, there was a tricky patch near
Casteret's cave on the Spanish side. I whimped out without an axe but
would have done it with a ski stick. Other folks managed to improvise
with bits of tent pole, but I didn't have one.

It's worth having a walking pole if you don't have one already and that
should be more than sufficient. I wouldn't bother with an axe in the
Summer.

Might or might not need an axe for Mount Perdido which is a good bit
higher. If I was in the car, I'd take one just in case and decide based
on local info on the day. If on foot (ie getting there on foot), then
I'd just take a ski stick even for Perdido ( which I havn't climbed I
must admit)

Hywel

The message <[email hidden]>
from "hyweldavies" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I've done the Breche in August in the last few years and you wouldn't
have needed an axe, though there was snow and ice. I did it (dodgily)
in sandals - but that's a story involving blisters - and carried heavy
boots all the way

Quoted message said:

15 years ago, similar time of year, there was a tricky patch near
Casteret's cave on the Spanish side. I whimped out without an axe but
would have done it with a ski stick. Other folks managed to improvise
with bits of tent pole, but I didn't have one.

Quoted message said:

It's worth having a walking pole if you don't have one already and that
should be more than sufficient. I wouldn't bother with an axe in the
Summer.

Quoted message said:

Might or might not need an axe for Mount Perdido which is a good bit
higher. If I was in the car, I'd take one just in case and decide based
on local info on the day. If on foot (ie getting there on foot), then
I'd just take a ski stick even for Perdido ( which I havn't climbed I
must admit)

Thanks for that. As we are flying with Flybe and are on a tight weight
allowance for all the camping and walking gear I am reluctant to take
ironmongery.

--
Len Trim

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